The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 24, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 07, 1996
Jeffery G Hopkins, Valencia, CA (US);
Wescam Inc., Flamborough, CA;
Abstract
An autotracking antenna system operable to cause a steerable antenna assembly to automatically track a moving RF video signal source has a reflector, a rotator for positioning the reflector at any desired position in azimuth and elevation, a primary antenna element positioned to receive an RF video signal reflected from the center of the reflector, and a series of offset antenna elements each positioned to receive an RF video signal reflected from a different off-center location on the reflector. A tracking control processor is operable to select and receive video signals from the primary antenna element and the offset antenna elements and to control the rotator, and a signal receiver receives video signals from the antenna element and has a video signal output. The tracking control processor operates to periodically obtain consecutive samples of the signals from the primary antenna element and the offset antenna element during a predetermined off-screen line of video frames of the RF video signal, and to control the rotator to position the reflector such that the signals received by the offset antenna elements are of substantially equal strength, whereby the primary antenna element receives a signal of maximum possible strength from the RF video source.